Democrats see Florida as a state they can make gains because it is about to pass one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans and abortion rights will go straight to a vote there in November.
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday upheld the 15-week abortion ban, clearing the way for a six-week ban that would take effect in 30 days. It often takes six weeks before a woman knows she is pregnant.
The ruling was met with outrage by Democrats and abortion rights activists in the state and nationally, but it could also be a galvanizing issue in the November election.
President Biden called the decision scandalous on Tuesday.
“Yesterday’s extreme decision puts much-needed medical care even further out of reach for millions of women in Florida and across the South,” the president said in a statement.
“This decision means that millions of women in Florida and the Southeast will likely live an even harsher reality where they face the choice between putting their lives in danger or traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to receive care,” said Vice President Kamala. Harris, who has played a leading role in the government on reproductive rights, said in a separate statement.
Pro-abortion rights protesters in Florida in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. on April 1, 2024, the state Supreme Court allowed an abortion measure to come to a vote in November
Florida’s 15-week ban was upheld by the state Supreme Court, paving the way for a six-week ban in the state
At the same time, Florida’s highest court is giving Florida residents their say by putting a measure on abortion access to the vote in November.
Following the monumental decision, President Biden’s campaign manager released a memo with the subject line “President Biden’s Opening in Florida.”
“As we have seen in election after election, protecting abortion rights mobilizes a diverse and growing segment of voters to lift Democrats up and down the ballot,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote.
She officially challenged the amendment on the November ballot.
‘President Biden and Vice President Harris and their commitment to fighting back against Donald Trump and Rick Scott’s attacks on reproductive freedom will help mobilize and expand the state’s electorate, as the overwhelming majority of Floridians supports abortion rights.’
Florida Democrats are feeling the most hope they’ve felt in years as the once clear battleground state turned deep red in the recent elections.
Biden speaks at a ‘Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally’ in January. He called the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to uphold an abortion law in the state ‘outrageous’
Vice President Harris last month became the first vice president or president to visit an abortion clinic. She was a leading advocate for abortion rights in the Biden administration
‘This November, Florida voters will stand up for women’s freedom to make their most personal medical decisions by rejecting this abortion ban and removing Rick Scott from the Senate,” said Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle of the state, which is a candidate for elections. this fall.
“FLORIDA IS IN THE GAME, AND IT’S WORTH FIGHTING FOR!” wrote Democratic Senator Shevrin Jones at X in response to the decision.
‘That’s right! Florida is in the game!’ wrote Nikki Fried, the chair of the state Democratic Party and the last Democrat to hold statewide elected office.
“Don’t give up on Florida. We can win this,” wrote March for our Lives founder David Hogg.
“Florida just got a lot more expensive for the Republican Party,” wrote political strategist and former Republican Party member Rick Wilson.
A University of North Florida poll last fall found that 62 percent of Florida voters said they would vote “yes” to an abortion rights ballot measure, including a majority of Republicans.
The measure needs 60 percent support in November to pass.
Anti-abortion rights groups and Republican officials had opposed its inclusion on the ballot.
SBA Pro-Life America celebrated the Florida Supreme Court upholding the state’s abortion law, but in November denounced the inclusion of the ballot measure, claiming it would reduce “dangerous late-term abortions.”
Supporters of the measure say it gives women the freedom to make personal medical decisions.
Anti-abortion protesters in Tallahassee, Florida in May 2022
Scott’s opponent, Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, responded that she is not surprised the abortion measure will be on the ballot and claimed that Florida voters have an “independent streak” and don’t want government interference.
Abortion has been a mobilizing issue for Democrats since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 and returned the issue to the states.
Where abortion measures have been debated even in red states like Kansas and Ohio, voters have voted to protect access to abortion.
While Democrats loudly rejected the Florida court’s decision to allow abortion laws and applauded the measure in November, Republicans remained silent.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed the six-week ban, has not yet publicly commented on the court’s decisions. Neither does Senator Rick Scott.
The abortion ban and ballot measure have also put former President Trump’s comments on abortion back into the spotlight.
The ex-president has not yet definitively said where he stands on a national abortion ban as he campaigns for the White House. He previously indicated he would support a 15-week federal ban, but his campaign on Tuesday suggested otherwise.
“President Trump supports preserving life, but has also made clear that he supports states’ rights because he supports voters’ right to make their own decisions,” senior adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement.
Trump previously called a six-week abortion ban in Florida a mistake, but he has also touted the overturning of Roe v Wade with the help of three Supreme Court justices he nominated.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke to supporters before signing Florida’s 15-week abortion ban into law in 2022. In April 2023, he also signed a six-week abortion ban.
Trump has indicated he would support a 15-week federal abortion ban
The Biden campaign and Democrats currently have a huge cash advantage over Republicans and Trump, and Democrats are going on the attack.
On Tuesday, the Biden campaign launched a new ad about reproductive freedom called “Trust,” in which the president goes after Trump directly on camera over abortion.
While Democrats are optimistic about what the introduction of the ballot measure in Florida means for their chances in November, it has become a very red state, and Republicans have a huge advantage with more than 855,000 more registered voters than Democrats.
Republicans hold a supermajority in the state legislature and in every statewide executive office.
Governor Ron DeSantis crushed his Democratic opponent in 2022 by 20 points, and GOP Senator Marco Rubio won his re-election bid that year by more than 16 points.
Trump won the state by just over three points over Biden in 2020 and saw a 1.3-point victory over Hillary Clinton there in 2016.
Florida has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since Fried won the race for Agriculture Commissioner there in 2018.